Last updated on February 27th, 2026.
Chocolate Olive Oil Madeleines are classic French tea cakes with bold cocoa and good olive oil. Instead of butter, olive oil adds delicate fruitiness and a soft, tender crumb that stays moist for days. The cocoa brings rich depth without heaviness, with lightly crisp edges and velvety centers. Simple, elegant, and slightly unexpected.
Madeleine cookies are made from a sponge cake batter baked in small, shell-shaped molds. The secret is allowing the batter to chill in the molds for 2–4 hours so a thin, dry layer forms on the surface. This dry layer prevents steam from escaping during baking, which is what creates the cookies’ famous center bump. Because the steam is trapped, it condenses back into moisture, giving the cookies a tender, moist crumb. Consider it the alter ego of a dry sponge cake.
The fun part about making madeleines is that you can flavor them with fun and unique flavor like these pistachio madeleines. To give the cookies an extra layer of moistness, I used oil instead of butter. Unlike butter, oil does not solidify as the cookies cool and does a better job coating the flour, resulting in a softer texture.
Make It
- The recipe will yield different amount of cookies depending on the size of the molds you are using.
- When baking with olive oil (especially extra virgin), it can sometimes add a slightly bitter note. Warm the olive oil for 30–60 seconds before using it, the gentle heat helps soften some of the bitter compounds and bloom the cocoa, enhancing the chocolate flavor.
- Replace the olive oil with melted butter, or melted brown butter.
- Make sure the eggs are at room temperature (or slightly warmer) before whipping them. Cold eggs will not whip properly and incorporate enough air, giving us a dense, compact cookies.
- Fill the mold up to 3/4 full.
Storing
Store at an air tight container for up to three days, or freeze for up to ten days. An airtight container will hold on to the moisture and prevents the cookies from drying out.
Tender and Moist Chocolate Olive Oil Madeleines
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup (30g) Unsaweetedned cocoa powder
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) Olive oil
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Cup (100g) Sugar
- 1/2 Cup (60g) Cake flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
Instructions
- Measure the cocoa powder (30g) into a medium bowl. Warm the olive oil (120ml) for one minutes using a 30 seconds increments then pour it over the cocoa powder. Mix to blend and set a side.
- Whip the eggs (2) and sugar (100g) in a separate bowl until you have a thick, pale yellow mixture.
- Mix the cake flour (60g) and baking powder (1/2 teaspoon), then sift the mixture over the eggs mixture and fold until fully incorporated.
- Fold in the cocoa/olive oil mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap then chill it for 30-60 minutes.
- Grease you Madeleines pan (12 in total), then fill each 3/4 full.
- Place the pan back in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
- Bake at a 400°F pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing from pans.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze in a freeze bag for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Note that the olive oil’s flavor so use the type you enjoy, and if you want, use melted brown butter (or butter) instead.
- The eggs must be at room temperature for them to whip into a light and thick meringue. When cold, they won’t incorporate air as well, and the cookies will bake dense.
Hello! Lovely picture. May I know what type of chocolate do you use? Is it baking or regular chocolate? Thank you
I used baking semi-sweet chocolate, you can use regular as long as it melts with no issues.
Hello Dee! This recipe sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to try it! Just one teensy issue — the link for the pan doesn’t work. Could you possibly update the link as I really like this pan and would love to buy it! Thank you!
Thank you Diane, you can find the link above and here is it again: https://amzn.to/3XeQ0Gq.
Thank you! I must have missed it up top — my old eyes are a challenge sometimes.
Lol! no worries.